Kehinde Wiley
Edited by Stephanie Emerson. Foreword by Julie Roberts. Text by Allison Glenn, Hollis Goodall, Yukio Lippit.
Roberts Projects is delighted to announce Kehinde Wiley: Colorful Realm, the sixth publication the gallery has produced with the artist. Released on the occasion of his exhibition of the same name, this striking volume presents a new body of work inspired by Japanese landscape paintings from the Edo period (c. 1600–1868).
Drawing inspiration from Itō Jakuchū’s Colorful Realm of Living Beings (Dōshoku sai-e), Wiley transforms his visual lexicon while maintaining his naturalist style in depicting figures. The untouched landscapes and unadorned backgrounds accentuate the details of Wiley’s figures, allowing them to stand out and command attention. As the artist himself states, “So much of my work is about appearance and showing up and being visible. This dance between exploring the vastness of space within the minimality of this technique I found to be an interesting juxtaposition.”
This catalogue showcases the nine monumental paintings from the exhibition in exquisite detail, accompanied by installation images and reference materials. It includes essays by leading scholars: Allison Glenn, a New York-based curator and writer; Hollis Goodall, curator of Japanese art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); and Yukio Lippit, professor of the history of art and architecture at Harvard University. These contributors engage deeply with Kehinde Wiley’s artistic oeuvre, examining the significant Japanese influences that permeate this body of work. Their insightful analyses forge new connections and interpretations, enriching our understanding of Wiley’s art and its cultural context.
This publication accompanies the exhibition Kehinde Wiley: Colorful Realm, the artist’s sixth solo exhibition at Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California (January 21 – April 8, 2023).
Kehinde Wiley (born 1977) was the first Black artist to paint an official US Presidential portrait for former US President Barack Obama. Wiley has held solo exhibitions throughout the United States and internationally, and his works are included in the collections of over 40 public institutions worldwide.
Published by Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California, 2024
Format: Hardcover, 9 x 12.5 in. / 96 pages / 56 color images
English
Distributed throughout the world by Artbook | D.A.P.
ISBN: 9781957920979
